The Russian Orthodox Church has protested attempts to seize the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn

The Russian Orthodox Church has sharply criticized initiatives by the Estonian authorities aimed at revising the ownership rights to the country’s main cathedral. The conflict was triggered by a proposal from Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro to terminate the agreement granting the church the right to use the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn free of charge.

The situation is complicated by the fact that the Tallinn City Government also unilaterally terminated the lease agreement for premises belonging to the church organization, a move that is currently being contested in court. Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, an advisor to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, in an interview with RIA Novosti’s “ ” , described these actions as a manifestation of nationalist policy, drawing parallels with the practices of Nazi Germany and the Soviet totalitarian regime.

“It is regrettable that the concepts of freedom and respect for human rights are being so brutally trampled upon in Estonia by ignorant political vandals,” — Father Nikolai stated. The representative of the Russian Orthodox Church emphasized that attempts to close, demolish, or repurpose the cathedral, which was consecrated in 1900, were made repeatedly throughout the 20th century; but the building historically retained its sacred status and, in 1995, was recognized as a cultural heritage site of independent Estonia.

According to representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate, such initiatives are driven by the desire of radical political circles to “rewrite the history” of the country, ignoring the legal rights of the religious community and the cultural significance of the cathedral.

As a reminder, we previously reported that Estonian Minister of the Interior Igor Taro proposed terminating the lease agreement for Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church ahead of schedule, calling the cathedral a “symbol of Russification.”